Today's highly saturated television arena makes it increasingly difficult for advertisers to reach their audiences in a cost-effectively manner. The advent of cable, satellite television, and hundreds of channels, as well as the fast-growing popularity of digital video recorders, has induced merchants to spend more on advertising. However, the proliferation of media lessens the number of viewers per medium and per advertising dollar. Studies show up to 40% of all advertising is wasted and TV advertising's return on investment today frequently yields only about 1 to 4%. Newspapers are in decline as well, as their advertising base dissipates. Clearly, there is a need for a more cost-effective advertising option.
One medium that I believe can be highly effective is electronic billboard advertising situated adjacent to roadways. The following is a list of some possibly relevant prior art that shows a variety of billboard displays. Following this list, I provide a discussion of these references.
U.S. PatentsPatent or Pub. No.Kind CodeIssue or Pub. DatePatentee or Applicant6,060,993B12000 May 9Cohen2003/0046158A12003 Mar. 6Kratky2003/0144906A12003 Jul. 31Fujimoto et al.2010/0036717A12010 Feb. 11Trest7,482,910B22009 Jan. 27Melvin2011/0018738Al2011 Jan. 27FeroldiNon-Patent LiteratureCLARE CARTER, “EU plans to fit all cars with speed limiters,” The Telegraph, UK, Sep. 1, 2013, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/road-safety/10278702/EU-plans-to-fit-all-cars-with-speed-limiters.html
In the references above, Cohen shows a mobile display system attached to vehicles such as buses and taxis. An on-board controller has satellite communication and senses time, date, and location and obtains and displays a static message suitable for the location. The network also transmits billing records.
Kratky shows a GPS-driven system that targets unique billboard ads to drivers on a particular path to a specified store.
Fujimoto et al. shows a display mounted on a traveling vehicle. Data for the display is supplied from roadside antennas. The content can be ads customized for a particular geographic location. The display is seen by other vehicles on the road. The system collects identification and travel routes of paid drivers of the ad-displaying vehicles.
Trest shows a networked mobile display that displays signs and billboards on a moving vehicle. The display selection can be based on various criteria in the vicinity of the displaying vehicle, such as vehicle make, facial ID, body type, cell phone, and the like.
Melvin shows a billboard that displays advertising or other information keyed to a specific driver or vehicle. The system includes a camera that is directed toward a vehicle and that senses information about the vehicle, such as make, model, year, license plate, bumper sticker, etc. Then it causes a suitable message (advertising or information) for the driver or passengers of the subject vehicle to be displayed on a display device.
Cohen, Kratky, Fujimoto, and Trest all show fixed, i.e., not motion or video, context-based messages on a vehicle-mounted display. While their messages will be seen, they will not attract as much attention as a constantly changing video display and hence provide less advertising value.
Feroldi shows a display mounted on a vehicle or on a roadway. The display on the vehicle shows a moving or still image when the vehicle is stopped or is travelling below a threshold speed and inhibits the display or makes it static when the vehicle moves above the threshold speed so that the sign is readable. However Feroldi does not appear to disclose any way of controlling a roadway-mounted sign.
The Claire Carter article shows that The European Union currently plans to fit all cars with speed limiters in an effort to reduce deaths from vehicle crashes. Speed limiters use satellites, on-board receivers, sign-reading cameras or other means to limit vehicle speed to predetermined values.